Tuning attachment for piano-fortes



UNITED STATT-3S PATENT RICHARD BEEBE, OF `WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

TUNING ATTACHMENT FOR PIANO-FORTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40AM dated Septemberl 22, ISGS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD Bnnnn, of West Springfield, in the count-y of Hampden and State ot' Massachusetts, have invented a new Attachment to lfianoFortes for Facilitating the Tuning of the Same; and I do hereby declare that. the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying d awings, forming part of this specification.

The object or" my invention is to so far simplify the timing ot' the piano-forte as to enable any person capable or" tuning unisons and octaves to put the instrument in correct tune; and to this end it consists in the attachment ot' a monochord directly to the sound-board of the instrument, with the addition of such apparatus as may be necessary tor bringing the monochord and the string to be tuned simultaneously under the easy control of the hand, thus obtaining a sufficient volume of sound without the necessityofconstruct-ing the monochord with a separate sounding` apparatus ot its own, after the manner ot' the guitar and viol, as has been usual.

Figure l in the drawings is a plan view of the interior of a square piano-forte, showing the application ot' my invention, but omitting such parts as are not necessary to illustrate it. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the monochord and a portion of the soundboard. Fig. 3 is a front view of the principal parts of the monochord and a section of a por.- tion of the sonndboard. Fig. @Lis an inverted plan of the movable bridge ot' the monochord. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a movable bridge of the monochord. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan ofthe damper ot' the monochord.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The monochordstring a may be arranged in any part of the instrument which may be most convenient. ln a square piano-forte I prefer to arrange it between the front bar or brace ofthe instrument and the bass strings, which arrangement is clearly shown in Fig. l. This string a, like the ordinary strings, s s, ot the instrument, is attached at one end by a hitch-pin, b, to the plate P ot' the instrument, and at the other end by a tuning-pin, c, to the wrestplank lV. Under the said string a there is glued or otherwise secured to thc sound-- board T a sonometer or graduated scale, d. composed of a straight piece ot' hard wood ot' about ive-eighths (Q) ot' an inch high and about one-halt (fle) an inch wide, and ot' a length somewhat greater than half that of the vibrating portion ot the string a. One end ot the sonometer is arranged near the ordinary soundboard bridge, c, ofthe instrument, and near this end there is secured in ita notched stud, j', which constitutes a bridge for the monochordstring a, and near this stud, on the side nearest to the hitch-pin, there is secured a hook, g, which hold-s the string iirmly in the notch ofthe bridgef. The said stud j' and hook g have screw-threads upon their shanls, by

which they may be raised and lowered at pleasure. The other end of thc string ,which is attached to the wrest-plank, rests in a notched metal bridge, 11 which fitted into a groove, j, in the said plank or iron frame, as the case may be, and secured by a cap-plate, i, which is placed across it, and screwed to the pla-nk or frame. rIhis bridge It may be so moved in the groove) as to increasel or diminish the length ot' the vibrating portion of the string a, and must be so adjusted that the note ot' the pianoforte that shall be in unison with the open monochord and the note that shall at the saine time be in unison with the monochord stopped at the twelfth (or octave) division shall forni a true octave with each other.

In the upper part or face oi'I the sonometer d there are secured a series of short metal pins, fr o, at distances from the bridgej"corresponding with the musical divisions ot' the monochord d according to the proposed temperament, the said pins being` indicated in Fig. l by B C $75 D g E F )$4 G 7% A, commencing trom the bridge j'. The said pins areiutended to serve as stops to the movable bridge It, the otlice ot' which is to check or stop the vibrations ot' the monochord precisely at the mathematical inusical divisions of the string expressed upon the sonometer. The sonometer has also screwed through it horizontally a series ot' screws, k 7c, corresponding in number with the said stops o r, one a little to the right ot' each stop r, such screws serving the two purposes of holding down the movable bridge It board of the piano-forte constitutes the soundl board for the monoehord, rendering any peonlim or sepa-rate sound-board for the monoehord unnecessary, substantially as herein described.

2. The Combination, With the so-applied monoehord, of :L movable key, by which i1; can be struck simultaneously with any one of the strings by tho action of the saine hand, substantially as herein set forth.

RIGHD. BEEBE. Witnesses:

M. S. PARTRIDGE, DANIEL ROBERTSON. 

